In this eraÂ ofÂ testingÂ ,Â itâ€™sÂ a goodÂ time toÂ reflect on the elements of Â Mastery Learning as an instructional model and see how it may benefit theÂ 21st centuryÂ English Language Learner.Â ESL students of every proficiency levelÂ can benefit from this approach.

ELLsÂ routinelyÂ participate inÂ standardized assessmentsÂ that are designed for native language speakers.Â OftentimesÂ these students cannot accurately demonstrateÂ theirÂ mastery of a topic without yetÂ having mastery of the English language.

WithÂ theÂ iPadÂ andÂ a masteryÂ learning approachÂ studentsÂ can createÂ dynamicÂ and entertainingÂ multimedia presentationsÂ that can be used as alternative assessments that inform instruction.

Bloom introduced the conceptÂ based on the premise thatÂ even thoughÂ studentsÂ have variousÂ learning rates and modalities, if teachers provide the necessary time and appropriate learning conditions, nearly all students canÂ reach a high level of achievement.Â Research has consistently linked the elementsÂ of mastery learning toÂ highly effective instruction and student learning success (GuskeyÂ 2010).

This approach isÂ aÂ natural choice for ESL students who are often faced with rigorous content demands whileÂ strugglingÂ at the same time to acquire English proficiency.Â As ELL advocates, we know that ourÂ ELLs need alternative strategies to access content and theyÂ are not always able to demonstrate theirÂ content knowledge through traditional means of assessment.

TheÂ iPadÂ providesÂ theÂ multimedia support for contentÂ that ELLs needÂ andÂ also allows ELLs to demonstrate mastery of a topic, regardless of their English proficiency.

The simplest wayÂ for students to demonstrate masteryÂ is to use the built in video camera and have students createÂ shortÂ direct instruction videos on a topic they have mastered.Â Another option is toÂ useÂ traditionalÂ tools likeÂ PowerPoint or KeynoteÂ on theÂ iPad to createÂ multimediaÂ presentations.

Finally,Â there are many useful apps that incorporate images, video, audio, writing and drawing to create interactive multimedia presentations and videos.Â Iâ€™ve listed some of them in the table below.

EducreationsÂ is a recordable interactive whiteboard that captures your voice and handwriting to produce video lessons that you can share online. Students and colleagues can replay lessons in any web browser, or from withinÂ theÂ app on theiriPads. There is also a community showcaseÂ on the homepage or the “Featured” tab in theÂ iPadÂ app to view lessons that other teachers have created withEducreations.

AudiobooÂ is an application for recording and sharing your voice with the world. This free version allows you to create audio up to 3 minutes in length and post that to your own account on the web. You can add titles, tags,Â geolocationÂ info and a photo to the recording before you upload it andÂ it willÂ save all that with the file. The audio can then be shared with your followers or via Facebook, Twitter & other social networks by managing your account at http://audioboo.fm.

Story KitÂ is an iPhone app created by the International Childrenâ€™s Library Foundation. This app allows users to create their own digital book that includes video and voice recordings, images, drawings and text. The book is stored on the apps bookshelf to be edited or read at any time. Â

VideoliciousÂ allowsÂ users to create videos without having significant editing expertise.Â UsersÂ choose from videos and photos stored on theirÂ iPad,Â placeÂ them in order and then stitch together that media. It enables them to use transitions, visual effects, and logos. Once users have picked the media they want to use, all they have to do is tap the videos while narrating over them, and they can later add soundtracks.

Today we had the opportunity to present at the Discovery Education Day of Discovery Conference. Â We explored techniques for building a mobile learning environment and ways to use digital media in creating content on the iPad. Â It was exciting to demonstrate how digital media and web 2.0 tools remove boundaries and promote academic achievement for ELLs. Â The iPad and other tablet computers can support the use of Discovery Education streaming and allow ELLs to access academic content in a whole new way.

We enjoyed engaging with those educators working hard with ELLs and all struggling learners. Â Here are just a few recommended apps that were shared during our session:

Roadshow – Collect web videos and play them back anytime

Language Builder – A rich environment for improving language development

We are on our way to San Diego this morning and can’t wait to get to the ISTE 2012 Conference. Â Right now, we are delayed at JFK because of thunder storms, so it looks like Â we will miss part of the day, but we are using this time to get ready for our presentation.

We will be presenting “No Boundaries:Using iPads to Reach English Language Learners” on Tuesday, June 26 from 2:00-3:00 and then we will be having a poster session on the same topic on Wednesday from 8:00am – 10:00am.

We have several new apps to suggest as well as a sample ELL lesson plan that integrates the iPad. Â The storm is passing and we are getting ready to board the plane. Â We”ll be posting and tweeting throughout the conference. So, stay tuned!

Recently we had the opportunity to attend a mobile learning expo with guest speaker Travis Allen of iSchool Initiative.Â This young man shared an amazing timeline of events that led him to create the iSchool Initiative.

This student-led, non-profit organization is dedicated to raising awareness for technology needs in our schools.Â Travis spoke passionately of his interest in helping others create educational experiences like those that have changed and improved his own college career.

Travis stated, educators must find, filter, and apply technology into the classrooms. The impact of technology and mobile learning in schools continues to broaden opportunities for ELLs.

How will you use technology to create these educational experiences for ELLs?

For more information on the iSchool Initiative:Â http://ischoolinitiative.org/

The textbook industry will never be the same. Apple has just made it easy for educators to create and publish their own textbooks with the new app iBooks Author. According to MacWorld, the app is as easy to use and works seamlessly with other apple products like Pages and Keynote.

What does this mean for teachers and school districts? This will enable us to create highly customized materials at significantly less cost than previously possible. The textbook publishers no longer hold the reins on the quality of content delivered to students.

It will also allow for dynamic, interactive ebooks that incorporate video, sounds, links and high quality images. As with all ebooks, students will have the benefits of keyword searches, highlighting, annotating and bookmarking. As well as having all their books and notes stored in one lightweight device!

Also announced today is the new iTunes U app which allows teachers to create an entire course curriculum with video, documents, apps and books. Students can search iTunes U catalog to browse ratings, description and course outline. iTunes U is already being used by colleges and universities. Now, for the first time, it is available for K-12 schools.

The new iBooks 2 app, iBooks Author and iTunes U app are all free. Although, it isÂ too early toÂ tell howÂ theseÂ products will affectÂ classroom instruction,Â providing access to tools thatÂ steerÂ the K-12Â systemÂ away from traditional methods of content and instruction delivery isÂ another step in the right direction.

Nowadays it is more important then ever before toÂ document and monitor student progress consistently. Fortunately, there are educational websitesÂ that make life a little easier for our beleaguered teachers.

One of my favorite sites for managing classes and creating interactive learning experiences for ELLs is Discovery Education Streaming. In addition to the free teacher resources (hint: they are easily found by scrolling all the way down to the bottom of the homepage), school districts can purchase a subscription to the site.

After building assignments, quizzes, writing prompts, or science assessments in My Builder Tools, teachers can keep track and document student work using Assignment Manager. Users can select a tab to view results in three different ways: by class, by student or by URL or assignment code.

Viewing assignments by class is useful to see how many students have submitted or completed the task. Teachers can edit the assignment or due date and determine the progress the class is making as a whole.

Viewing by student allows a teacher to determine whether a particular student requires remediation. Teachers can assign extra practice or decide to delete student attempts on the assignment.

You can also view assignments according to url or assignment code. This may be useful when an assignment has been given to several different classes and you would like to view all class results together.

In addition to simply viewing, teachers may decide to export the results to an excel file so that it can be stored locally and shared with others. The excel file can be imported into a school-based student data system or printed for a parent teacher conference or a student portfolio.

That reminds me, e-portfolios are another great tool for student assessment. More on that next time!